Formula Drift’s season-ending event was full of drama and dynamic displays of driving prowess, with three final-round battles required to determine the 2018 Champion. In the end, James Deane took home his second straight title thanks to help from a past champion.

For 2018, the Formula Drift championship’s first stop slides across the ocean-adjacent streets of Long Beach, California. Hosted on the iconic Long Beach Grand Prix course, I think this venue as the season opener is the perfect way to bring in the new year of drifting competition. Here’s why…

This year the Formula Drift calendar added a Canadian stop to its tour. We took a break from the troubles of the world, turned off our cellular data, and enjoyed a drifting competition filled with some of the best tandems we’ve ever witnessed. Follow along with our recap of the Saint-Eustache action!

Formula Drift’s 13th season opener in the rain was comparable to professional bull riding on ice. That is, if a rider had to navigate a bull sideways through the slippery city streets of Long Beach, California while riding next to another bull.